Semiconductor device with antenna and separating layer

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a semiconductor device which can reliably restrict transmission/reception of signals or a power source voltage between a reader/writer when peeled off after stuck to an object. The semiconductor device of the invention includes an integrated circuit and an antenna formed on a support base. In the semiconductor device of the invention, a separating layer which is overlapped with the integrated circuit and the antenna sandwiching an insulating film is formed on the support base. A wiring for electrically connecting the integrated circuit and the antenna, a wiring for electrically connecting semiconductor elements in an integrated circuit, or a wiring which forms the antenna passes through the separating layer.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device which is capableof wireless communication formed on a support base.

BACKGROUND ART

A semiconductor device represented by an ID tag which is capable oftransmitting and receiving data such as identification data by wirelesshas been advanced for practical application and the market is expectedto increase as a new mode of a communication data terminal. An ID tag isalso referred to as a wireless tag, an RFID (Radio FrequencyIdentification) tag, or an IC tag. Most ID tags which are now inpractical use each has an antenna and an integrated circuit (IC chip)formed by using a semiconductor substrate.

An ID tag, being different than a magnetic card, a barcode and the likeof which data can be read similarly by wireless, is superior in thatstored data cannot be read physically and is not easily tampered.Moreover, an ID tag is advantageous in that it is not easily forgedsince relatively large scale of production equipment is required formanufacture unlike the magnetic card, the barcode and the like.

The Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-13874 (PatentDocument 1) describes an ID label having an advantage in that it is noteasily forged. An antenna of the ID label described in the PatentDocument 1 is cut off when the ID label is peeled off an object beingstuck. Therefore, the ID label can be used as a seal so it can bereliably detected that it is peeled off.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

An ID label described in the Patent Document 1 uses a strong adhesiveand a weak adhesive appropriately so that an antenna is cut off into amaterial sheet side and an object side. According to the aforementionedstructure, however, only a portion of a film which forms the antenna ispeeled off depending on the way of peeling the ID label, therefore,there may be a case where the antenna is not cut off. In such a case, inparticular, only a portion of a metal film which forms an antenna ispeeled off even when the antenna is to be cut off by separately usingstrong and week adhesives, therefore, the antenna is not always cut offfor sure. Accordingly, there is also a case where the antenna functionsnormally and signals and a power source voltage are transmitted andreceived normally between the ID label and a reader/writer even afterpeeling the ID label off.

An ID tag is also assumed to be stuck to a flexible material such aspaper and plastic, however, the mechanical strength of a semiconductorsubstrate is low as compared to the aforementioned materials. Byshrinking the area of an ID tag itself, the mechanical strength can beenhanced to some extent, however, it is difficult to secure circuitscale and transmission gain of the antenna in this case. In particular,low transmission gain of the antenna requires a communication distanceto be short, which limits the application range of the ID tag.Therefore, the circuit scale and the transmission gain of the antenna ofan IC chip being emphasized, the area of an ID tag cannot be easilyshrunken and the mechanical strength cannot be enhanced much.

In the case of an IC chip formed by using a semiconductor substrate, thesemiconductor substrate functions as a conductor to block radio waves,therefore, there is also a problem that signals are likely to beattenuated depending on the direction of transmitted radio waves.

In view of the aforementioned problems, the invention provides asemiconductor device which can restrict transmission/reception ofsignals or a power source voltage to/from a reader/writer when peeledoff after being stuck to an object. Moreover, the invention provides asemiconductor device of which cost can be suppressed, mechanicalstrength can be enhanced, and which can be formed by a simpler process,and can prevent radio waves to be blocked.

The semiconductor device of the invention has an integrated circuit andan antenna formed on a support base. Further, the semiconductor deviceof the invention has a separating layer which is overlapped with theintegrated circuit and the antenna sandwiching an insulating film and isformed on the support base. A wiring for electrically connecting theintegrated circuit and the antenna, a wiring for electrically connectingsemiconductor elements in the integrated circuit, or a wiring whichforms the antenna passes through the separating layer. By peeling thesemiconductor device having the aforementioned structure off the objectphysically, the separating layer is separated, thus the semiconductordevice is torn off on the border of the separating layer. Accordingly,the wiring for electrically connecting the integrated circuit and theantenna, the wiring for electrically connecting semiconductor elementsin the integrated circuit, or the wiring which forms the antenna can becut off. The semiconductor device of the invention is, representatively,an ID tag, an ID card, an ID chip, a wireless chip and the like.However, the invention is not limited to these and various applicationmodes are possible.

A film containing metal oxide (a metal oxide film) can be used as theseparating layer.

For example, by cutting the wiring for electrically connecting theintegrated circuit and the antenna, the antenna and the integratedcircuit can be electrically separated. Also, by cutting the wiring forelectrically connecting the semiconductor elements in the integratedcircuit, a function of the integrated circuit can be broken. By cuttingthe wiring which forms the antenna, a function of the antenna can bebroken. In either case, cutting the wiring can restricttransmission/reception of signals or a power source voltage between thesemiconductor device and the reader/writer reliably.

According to the invention, an integrated circuit (hereinafter referredto as a thin film integrated circuit) formed of a TFT (thin filmtransistor) having a thin film semiconductor which is insulated is usedfor a semiconductor device. A thin film integrated circuit and anantenna of the semiconductor device are formed on a flexible supportbase such as plastic and paper. By the antenna, transmission/receptionof signals between the reader/writer and the thin film integratedcircuit or a supply of a power source voltage from the reader/writer tothe thin film integrated circuit can be performed.

By adhering thin film integrated circuits which are manufacturedindependently to be laminated, circuit scale or storage of a memory maybe increased. The thin film integrated circuit is considerably thinnerthan an IC chip manufactured by a semiconductor substrate, therefore,mechanical strength of a semiconductor device can be maintained to someextent even when a plurality of the thin film integrated circuits arelaminated. The laminated thin film integrated circuits may be connectedto each other by a known connecting method such as a flip-chip method, aTAB (Tape Automated Bonding) method, and a wire bonding method.

According to the invention, unlike the aforementioned Patent Document 1,it is unlikely that only a portion of an antenna is peeled off whenpeeling a semiconductor device off an object. Therefore, an electricalseparation between the antenna and the thin film integrated circuit canbe performed reliably. Accordingly, by peeling the semiconductor deviceoff the object, transmission/reception of signals or a power sourcevoltage between the semiconductor device and a reader/writer can berestricted reliably.

According to the semiconductor device of the invention, a thin filmintegrated circuit is formed by using a TFT which is insulated.Therefore, a parasitic diode is unlikely to be formed between asubstrate and the TFT, which is different than a transistor formed on asemiconductor substrate. Therefore, a large amount of current does notflow into a drain region according to a potential of an alternate signalapplied to a source region or the drain region, thus deterioration ordestruction is unlikely to occur.

By forming the semiconductor device by using a flexible support base,the semiconductor device can be formed into a shape suitable for a shapeof an object, which can considerably increase the application range ofthe semiconductor device.

According to the semiconductor device of the invention, high mechanicalstrength can be obtained even without shrinking an area thereof as smallas a conventional semiconductor device using a semiconductor substrate.Accordingly, it is easier to secure transmission gain of an antenna, andobtain a long communication distance, thus the application range of thesemiconductor device can be further wider.

The frequency of radio waves used for the semiconductor device typifiedby an ID tag is generally 13.56 MHz or 2.45 GHz. It is essential forenhancing versatility to form the semiconductor device so that radiowaves of these frequencies can be detected.

The semiconductor device of the invention is advantageous in that radiowaves are not easily blocked in the thin film integrated circuit ascompared to an IC chip formed by using a semiconductor substrate andthat it can be prevented that signals are attenuated by the blockedradio waves. Therefore, the diameter of an antenna can be suppressed ascompared to the case of the IC chip.

The cost of the semiconductor device can be drastically low by virtue ofnot requiring a semiconductor substrate. For example, the case of usinga silicon substrate having a diameter of 12 inches and the case of usinga glass substrate having a size of 7,300×9,200 mm² are compared. Thearea of the former silicon substrate is about 73,000 mm² while the areaof the latter glass substrate is about 672,000 mm², that is, the glasssubstrate is about 9.2 times as large as the silicon substrate. Usingthe latter glass substrate having an area of about 672,000 mm², an IDtag of which one side is 1 mm can be formed about 672,000 pieces when anarea consumed for separating the substrate is ignored. This numbercorresponds to about 9.2 times as large as that of the siliconsubstrate. As the case of using the glass substrate of 7,300×9,200 mm²requires less number of manufacturing steps than the case of using thesilicon substrate of which diameter is 12 inches, only a third ofequipment investment is required for the mass production of ID tags.Moreover, the glass substrate can be reutilized after peeling the thinfilm integrated circuits off. Therefore, the case of using the glasssubstrate requires considerably less cost than the case of using thesilicon substrate even when the cost required for compensating brokenglass substrates and clarifying a surface of the glass substrate istaken into account. Even when the glass substrates are abandoned withoutbeing reutilized, the cost of the glass substrate having a size of7,300×9,200 mm² can be about a half the silicon substrate having adiameter of 12 inches, thus the cost of the semiconductor device canconsiderably be reduced.

Therefore, in the case of using the glass substrate having a size of7,300 ×9,200 mm², the price of the semiconductor device can besuppressed to about one thirtieth of that of the case of using thesilicon substrate having a diameter of 12 inches. As a disposableapplication of the semiconductor device is also expected, the ID tag ofthe invention of which cost can be considerably reduced is quiteefficient for the aforementioned application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing an ID tag 100 of the invention used forsealing a lid 102 of a container 101 and FIG. 1B is a diagram showingone mode of the ID tag 100.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are respectively an enlarged view and a sectional viewof a region surrounded by a broken line 111 of the ID tag 100 shown inFIG. 1B.

FIG. 3A is a diagram showing the ID tag shown in FIG. 2B stuck to anobject 120 and FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the ID tag shown in FIG. 3Abeing peeled off on the border of a metal oxide film (a separatinglayer) 115 physically.

FIGS. 4A to 4C illustrate application modes of the ID tag of theinvention.

FIGS. 5A to 5E are diagrams showing manufacturing steps of the ID tag ofthe invention.

FIGS. 6A to 6C are diagrams showing manufacturing steps of the ID tag ofthe invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a manufacturing step of the ID tag of theinvention.

FIG. 8A is a sectional view of the ID tag of the invention stuck to anobject and FIG. 8B is a sectional view of the ID tag of the inventionbeing peeled off the object.

FIGS. 9A to 9D are top plan views and sectional views of a substrate 903on which grooves 901 are formed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing one mode of a functional structure of theID tag of the invention.

FIG. 11A is a sectional view of the ID tag of the invention and FIG. 11Bis a sectional view of the ID tag being peeled off an object.

FIG. 12A is a sectional view of the ID tag of the invention and FIG. 12Bis a sectional view of the ID tag being peeled off an object.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter described with reference to drawings is an embodiment modeof the ID tag as the semiconductor device of the invention. However, theinvention can be implemented in various modes. Therefore, unless suchchanges and modifications depart from the scope of the invention, theyshould be construed as being included therein. For example, thesemiconductor device of the invention is not limited to the ID tag, butvarious application modes such as an ID card, an ID chip, and a wirelesschip are possible. Thus, the invention is not limited to the specificembodiment modes.

FIG. 1A shows a container 101 of which a lid 102 is sealed by using anID tag 100 of the invention. The container 101 includes the lid 102 anda main body 107. By adhering the ID tag 100 at a position so that thelid 102 of the container 101 cannot be opened unless the ID tag 100 ispeeled off, it can be figured out reliably if the lid 102 is openedafter the ID tag 100 is stuck. A broken line 106 denotes a borderbetween the lid 102 and the main body 107 of the container 101.

FIG. 1B shows one mode of the ID tag 100. The ID tag 100 includes asupport base 103, and an antenna 104 formed, and a thin film integratedcircuit 105 on the support base 103. The broken line 106 denotes aborder between the lid 102 and the main body 107 of the container 101. Awiring 108 corresponds to a portion of the antenna 104, therebyterminals 109 and 110 of the antenna 104 can be electrically connected.

The thin film integrated circuit 105 can generate a power source voltageor various signals from alternate electronic signals generated in theantenna 104, and perform various operations by using the power sourcevoltage and the various signals. Then, the alternate electronic signalsgenerated in the thin film integrated circuit 105 are inputted to theantenna 104, thereby the various signals are transmitted from theantenna 104 to a reader/writer.

FIG. 2A shows an enlarged view of a region surrounded by a broken line111 of the ID tag 100 shown in FIG. 1B. FIG. 2B shows a sectional viewalong A-A′ of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2B shows a sectional view of TFTs 112 and113 as the thin film integrated circuit 105, however, a semiconductorelement included in the thin film integrated circuit 105 in the ID tagof the invention is not limited to a TFT. Other semiconductor elementsthan a TFT such as a memory element, a diode, a photoelectric transferelement, a resistor, a coil, a capacitor, and an inductor can be used.

An adhesive 114 is applied on the opposite surface of the support base103 where the thin film integrated circuit 105 and the antenna 104 areformed. The adhesive 114 may be a substance that the support base 103 ofthe ID tag 100 can be stuck to an object. Note that a portion of thesupport base 103 may function as an adhesive. Alternatively, instead ofapplying the adhesive, an adhesive prepared separately may be used inthe case of adhesion.

According to the ID tag of the invention, a separating layer 115 isformed between the antenna 104 and semiconductor elements in the thinfilm integrated circuit 105, which are the TFTs 112 and 113 in FIG. 2B.Note that the thin film integrated circuit 105 and the antenna 104 maybe overlapped or do not have to be overlapped. A wiring 116 forelectrically connecting the antenna 104 and the TFTs 112 and 113 isformed so as to pass through the separating layer 115. Note that thewiring 116 may be a portion of the antenna 104 or prepared separately.

FIG. 2B shows an example where the separating layer 115 is formedbetween the thin film integrated circuit 105 and the antenna 104,however, the invention is not limited to this structure. It is requiredthat the wiring 116 for electrically connecting the antenna 104 and thethin film integrated circuit 105 is formed so as to pass through theseparating layer 115. Instead, it is required that the wiring formingthe antenna 104 is formed so as to pass through the separating layer115. Alternatively, it is required that the wiring for electricallyconnecting semiconductor elements which form the thin film integratedcircuit 105 is formed so as to pass through the separating layer 115.

FIG. 3A shows the ID tag shown in FIG. 2B being stuck to an object 120.FIG. 3B shows the ID tag shown in FIG. 3A being peeled off physically ona border of the separating layer 115. As shown in FIG. 3B, by peeling aportion of the ID tag on the border of the separating layer 115, thewiring 116 which passes through the separating layer 115 can be cut off.Therefore, the antenna 104 and the thin film integrated circuit 105 canbe electrically separated, thus transmission/reception of signals or apower source voltage between the ID tag and a reader/writer can berestricted.

In the ID tag 100 used for figuring out if the lid 102 is opened or notas shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a wiring which is cut off by peeling the IDtag 100 off is formed two positions at least. It is preferable that thetwo positions be provided sandwiching the border between the lid 102 andthe main body 107 of the container 106, which is denoted by the brokenline 106. According to the aforementioned structure, at least one of thewirings at two positions has to be cut for opening the lid 102, thus itcan be figured out reliably if the lid 102 is opened or not.

Although the container 101 is sealed by using the ID tag 100 in FIGS. 1Aand 1B, however, it may be any container as long as of which mouth canbe closed.

An application of the ID tag of the invention is not limited for sealinga container. The ID tag can be used for invalidating the object or forreducing value thereof once the ID tag is peeled off. For example, theID tag may be stuck to a tag having information of an object, such as ashipping tag, a price tag, and a nametag, or the ID tag of the inventionitself may be used as a tag as it is. Also, the ID tag may be stuck to acertification corresponding to a document which proves the fact, such asa family register, a resident's card, a passport, a driver's license, anID, a membership card, a certificate of authenticity, a credit card, acash card, a prepaid card, a consultation ticket, and a commuter pass.Moreover, securities corresponding to a certificate which proves ajuridical property right, such as a bill, a check, a claim ticket, abill of lading, a warehouse bill, a stock, a bond, a gift certificate,and mortgage securities.

FIG. 4A shows an example of using the ID tag of the invention forsealing an envelope. In FIG. 4A, by adhering an ID tag 402 of theinvention, the envelope 401 is closed. According to the aforementionedstructure, it can be figured out if the envelope is opened or not by athird person before an addressee opens it.

FIG. 4B shows an example of a check 411 on which an ID tag 410 of theinvention is stuck. In FIG. 4B, the ID tag 410 is stuck to a surface ofthe check 411. According to the aforementioned structure, even when theID tag 410 is peeled off for the purpose of forgery, for example, it canbe figured out later that the ID tag 410 is peeled off, therefore thecheck 411 can be invalidated.

FIG. 4C shows an example of a passport 421 including an ID tag 420 ofthe invention. In FIG. 13A, the ID tag 420 is stuck to a cover of thepassport 421, however, it may be stuck to another page of the passport421 as well. According to the aforementioned structure, even when the IDtag 420 is peeled off for the purpose of forgery, for example, it can befigured out later that the ID 420 tag is peeled off, therefore thepassport 421 can be invalidated.

Now, a manufacturing method of the semiconductor device of the inventionis described. In this embodiment mode, a TFT which is insulated is shownas an example of a semiconductor element, however, the semiconductorelement included in a thin film integrated circuit is not limited tothis and various circuit elements can be used. For example, a memoryelement, a diode, a photoelectric transfer element, a resistor, a coil,a capacitor, an inductor and the like can be used as well as a TFT.

As shown in FIG. 5A, a separating layer 501 is formed on a substrate 500by a sputtering method. A glass substrate such as a barium borosilicateglass or an alumino-borosilicate glass, a quartz substrate, an SUSsubstrate and the like that can resist processing temperature in a latermanufacturing step can be used as the substrate 500.

A layer mainly containing silicon such as amorphous silicon,polycrystalline silicon, single crystalline silicon or microcrystallinesilicon (including semi-amorphous silicon) can be used for theseparating layer 501. The separating layer 501 can be formed by asputtering method, a plasma CVD method or the like. In this embodimentmode, an amorphous silicon film is formed to be about 500 nm inthickness by a sputtering method, and is used as the separating layer501.

A base film 502 is formed on the separating layer 501. The base film 502is formed in order to prevent an alkaline metal such as Na or analkaline earth metal contained in the support base or an adhesive fromdispersing in a semiconductor film used for the semiconductor elementand adversely affecting the characteristics of the semiconductorelement. The base film 502 also has a function of protecting thesemiconductor element from an etchant in etching the separating layer501. The base film 502 is preferably formed of an insulating film suchas silicon oxide, silicon nitride or silicon nitride oxide, which iscapable of suppressing the dispersion of an alkaline metal or analkaline earth metal into the semiconductor film and which can protect asemiconductor element from an etchant used in etching silicon. In thisembodiment mode, a silicon nitride oxide film is formed to be 10 to 400nm in thickness (preferably, 50 to 300 nm) by a plasma CVD method. Thebase film 502 may be a single layer or a laminated layer of insulatingfilms.

A semiconductor film is formed on the base film 502. The semiconductorfilm is preferably formed without being exposed to the air after formingthe base film 502. The semiconductor film is formed to have a thicknessof 20 to 200 nm (preferably, 40 to 170 nm). The semiconductor film maybe an amorphous semiconductor, a semi-amorphous semiconductor or apolycrystalline semiconductor. Silicon germanium as well as silicon canbe used for the semiconductor. In the case of using silicon germanium,the concentration thereof is preferably approximately 0.01 to 4.5 atomic%.

The semiconductor film may be crystallized by a known method. As knownmethods of crystallization, a thermo-crystallization method using anelectrically heated oven, a laser crystallization method using laserlight, and a lamp annealing crystallization method using an infrared rayare cited. Further, a crystallization method using a catalyst elementcan be used. In the case of e.g., laser crystallization, before thelaser crystallization, thermal annealing is performed on a semiconductorfilm for an hour at 500° C. to enhance the tolerance of thesemiconductor film to laser light. It is possible to obtain crystalshaving a large grain size by emitting laser light of second to fourthharmonics of a fundamental wave with a solid-state laser that is capableof continuously oscillation. Typically, it is preferable to use secondharmonic (532 nm) or third harmonic (355 nm) of an Nd:YVO₄ laser(fundamental wave: 1064 nm). Specifically, laser light emitted from acontinuous wave type YVO₄ laser is converted to the harmonic with anon-linear optical element to obtain laser light with the output powerof 10 W. Preferably, laser light is formed to have a rectangular shapeor an elliptical shape in an irradiated surface by using an opticalsystem to irradiate the semiconductor film with the laser light. On thisoccasion, an energy density of approximately 0.01 to 100 MW/cm²(preferably 0.1 to 10 MW/cm²) is necessary. The scanning speed thereofis set to approximately 10 to 2000 cm/sec. to emit laser light.

The pulsed laser has a repetition rate of 10 MHz or more. Thisrepetition rate may be extremely higher than that of the pulsed laserused usually, which is from several tens to several hundreds Hz, toconduct laser crystallization. It is said that it takes several tens toseveral hundreds nsec. to solidify the semiconductor film completelyafter the semiconductor film is irradiated with the pulsed laser light.When the pulsed laser light has a repetition rate of 10 MHz or more, itis possible to irradiate the next pulsed laser light after thesemiconductor film is melted by the laser light and before thesemiconductor film is solidified. Therefore, since the interface betweenthe solid phase and the liquid phase can be moved continuously in thesemiconductor film, the semiconductor film having a crystal grain growncontinuously toward the scanning direction is formed. Specifically, itis possible to form an aggregation of crystal grains each of which has awidth of 10 to 30 μm in the scanning direction and a width ofapproximately 1 to 5 μm in a direction perpendicular to the scanningdirection. It is also possible to form a semiconductor film havingalmost no crystal grain boundaries at least in the channel direction ofthe TFT by forming a crystal grain of a single crystal extending long inthe scanning direction.

As for the laser crystallization, continuous wave laser light of afundamental wave and continuous wave laser light of a harmonic may beirradiated in parallel, or continuous wave laser light of a fundamentalwave and pulsed laser light of a harmonic may be irradiated in parallel.

Laser light may be emitted in an inert gas atmosphere such as a rare gasor nitrogen. Thus, unevenness in a surface of a semiconductor due to thelaser irradiation can be suppressed, and variation of a threshold valuedue to variation of the interface state density can be suppressed.

A semiconductor film having more enhanced crystallinity is formed byirradiating the semiconductor film with the laser light as describedabove. Note that a polycrystalline semiconductor may be formed inadvance by a sputtering method, a plasma CVD method or a thermal CVDmethod.

The semiconductor film is crystallized in this embodiment mode, however,but an amorphous silicon film or a microcrystalline semiconductor filmmay be used in the next process without performing the crystallization.A TFT using an amorphous semiconductor or a microcrystallinesemiconductor needs fewer manufacturing steps than a TFT using apolycrystalline semiconductor, thus, has advantages of reducing costsand enhancing yield.

A semi-amorphous semiconductor has an intermediate structure between anamorphous structure and a crystalline structure (including a singlecrystalline structure, and a polycrystalline structure), and a thirdstate that is stable with respect to free energy. Such a semi-amorphoussemiconductor includes a short range order and lattice distortion, andis crystalline. Crystal grains of 0.5 to 20 nm in size are contained inan amorphous semiconductor. As for the semi-amorphous semiconductor, theRaman spectrum shifts to the lower side of a wave number of 520 cm⁻¹,and a diffraction peak of (111) and (220) derived from a silicon crystallattice is observed in x-ray diffraction. Further, the semi-amorphoussemiconductor contains hydrogen or halogen of 1 atom % or more forterminating a dangling bond. Herein, the semi-amorphous semiconductor isreferred to as an SAS for convenience. When a rare gas element such ashelium, argon, krypton, or neon is mixed into an SAS, the latticedistortion is more increased and the stability is thus enhanced, therebyobtaining an excellent SAS.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5A, the semiconductor film is patterned to forman island-like semiconductor films 503 and 504. Various semiconductorelements typified by TFTs are formed using the island-like semiconductorfilms 503 and 504 as shown in FIG. 5B. In FIG. 5B, the island-likesemiconductor films 503 and 504 are in contact with the base film 502,but an electrode, an insulating film, or the like may be formed betweenthe base film 502 and the island-like semiconductor films 503 and 504,depending on a semiconductor elements. For example, in the case of abottom gate TFT that is one of the semiconductor element, a gateelectrode and a gate insulating film are formed between the base film502 and the island-like semiconductor films 503 and 504.

In FIG. 5B, top gate TFTs 505 and 506 are formed using the island-likesemiconductor films 503 and 504. Specifically, a gate insulating film507 is formed so as to cover the island-like semiconductor films 503 and504. Then, a conductive film is formed over the gate insulating film 507and patterned to form gate electrodes 508 and 509. Next, impuritiesimparting n-type conductivity are added to the island-like semiconductorfilms 503 and 504 by using the gate electrodes 508 and 509 or a resistthat is formed and patterned as a mask to form a source region, a drainregion, an LDD region and the like. Here, the TFTs 505 and 506 aren-type TFIs, but impurities imparting p-type conductivity are added inthe case of using a p-type TFT. According to the above-describedprocess, the TFTs 505 and 506 can be formed.

Moreover, heat treatment may be performed in the atmosphere includinghydrogen in the range of 3 to 100% at a temperatures ranging from 300 to450° C. for 1 to 12 hours to hydrogenate the island-like semiconductorfilms 503 and 504 after forming the gate insulating film 507. As anotherdehydrogenation method, plasma dehydrogenation (using hydrogen excitedby plasma) may be conducted. In this step, the dangling bond can beterminated by the hydrogen excited thermally. In a later step, even whendefects are formed in a semiconductor film by bending a support baseafter a semiconductor element is attached to the flexible support base,the defects can be terminated by hydrogen contained in the semiconductorfilm by setting the hydrogen concentration in the semiconductor film to1×10¹⁹ to 5×10²¹ atoms/cm³. Halogen may be contained in thesemiconductor film to terminate the defects.

Note that a manufacturing method of a TFT is not limited to the abovedescribed one.

A first interlayer insulating film 510 is formed to cover the TFTs 505and 506. After contact holes are formed in the gate insulating film 507and the first interlayer insulating film 510, wirings 511 to 514 to beconnected to the TFTs 505 and 506 through the contact holes are formedto be in contact with the first interlayer insulating film 510.

As shown in FIG. 5C, a second interlayer insulating film 515 is formedover the first interlayer insulating film 510 so as to cover the wirings511 to 514. A metal film 516 is formed on the second interlayerinsulating film 515. Here, the metal film 516 is formed of tungsten inthickness of 10 to 200 nm, preferably 50 to 75 nm. Apertures are formedin the metal film 516 in a region which is overlapped with the wirings511 to 514 for electrically connecting to an antenna later.

As shown in FIG. 5D, an oxide film 517 which forms an insulating film islaminated without being exposed to air after forming the metal film 516.Here, a silicon oxide film is formed in thickness of 150 to 300 nm asthe oxide film 517. In the case of forming by sputtering, an oxide filmis also formed on an edge portion of the substrate 500. Therefore, it ispreferable that the metal film 516 and the oxide film 517 be selectivelyremoved by O₂ ashing and the like so that the oxide film 517 is not lefton the substrate 500 side.

When depositing the oxide film 517, pre-sputtering is performed thatplasma is generated by blocking between a target and a substrate as aformer stage of sputtering. The pre-sputtering is performed with flowrates of Ar and O₂ as 10 and 30 sccm respectively with a temperature ofthe substrate 500 being set at 270° C. and a deposition power being setin a parallel state at 3 kW. By the pre-sputtering, a quite thinseparating layer (a metal oxide film is used in this embodiment mode)518 having about several nm in thickness (here, 3 nm) is formed betweenthe metal film 516 and the oxide film 517. The metal oxide film 518 canbe formed by oxidizing a surface of the metal film 516. Therefore, themetal oxide film 518 is formed of tungsten oxide in FIG. 5D.

In FIG. 5D, the metal oxide film 518 is formed by pre-sputtering,however, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the metaloxide film 518 may be formed by adding oxygen or oxygen added with inertgas of Ar and the like to oxidize the surface of the metal film 516 byplasma intentionally.

For the first interlayer insulating film 510 and the second interlayerinsulating film 515, an organic resin film, an inorganic insulatingfilm, and an insulating film containing a Si—O—Si bond formed by using asiloxane material as a starting material (hereinafter referred to as asiloxane insulating film) and the like can be used. The siloxaneinsulating film may contain at least one of fluorine, an alkyl group,and aromatic carbon hydride as well as hydrogen for a substituent.

Subsequently, the metal oxide film 518 is crystallized by applying heattreatment. By crystallization, the metal oxide film 518 becomes easilybroken on grain boundaries, thus fragility thereof can be enhanced. Inthis embodiment mode, tungsten oxide is used for the metal oxide film518. In this case, it is preferable that the crystallization of themetal oxide film 518 be performed by heat treatment at a temperature of420 to 550° C. for about 0.5 to 5 hours. In this embodiment mode, a stepof heat treatment is provided only for crystallizing the metal oxidefilm 518, however, the invention is not limited to this. In the casewhere heat treatment is performed in another step later, it maysubstitute this crystallization of the metal oxide film 518. In thisembodiment mode, the step of crystallizing the metal oxide film 518 isprovided since tungsten oxide is described as an example, however, theinvention is not limited to this. In the case where the metal oxide film518 has sufficiently high fragility, the step of crystallizing the metaloxide film 518 is not necessarily provided.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5E, the second interlayer insulating film515 and the oxide film 517 are etched through apertures of the metalfilm 516, thereby portions of the wirings 511 and 514 are exposed. Byforming the second interlayer insulating film 515 and the oxide film 517using the same material, the aforementioned etching step can besimplified.

Subsequently, a third interlayer insulating film 520 is formed. Thethird interlayer insulating film 520 can be formed of an organic resinfilm, an inorganic insulating film or a siloxane insulating film. Thethird interlayer insulating film 520 is formed so as to have aperturesat a position where the wirings 511 and 514 are exposed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, an antenna 519 is formed on the thirdinterlayer insulating film 520. The antenna 519 can be formed by using aconductive material containing one or a plurality of metal and metalcompound of such as Ag, Au, Cu, Pd Cr, Mo, Ti, Ta, W, and Al. A portionof the antenna 519 passes through the metal oxide film 518. The antenna519 is connected to the wirings 511 and 514. Note that the antenna 519is directly connected to the wirings 511 and 514 in FIG. 6A, however,the ID tag of the invention is not limited to this structure. Theantenna 519 and the wirings 511 and 514 may be electrically connected byusing a wiring formed separately, for example.

The antenna 519 can be formed by using a printing method, aphotolithography method, a vapor deposition method, a dropletdischarging method and the like. In this embodiment mode, the antenna519 is formed of a single layer conductive film, however, the antenna519 may be formed of a lamination of a plurality of conductive films.

The droplet discharging method is a method for forming a predeterminedpattern by discharging droplets containing a predetermined compositionfrom a minute orifice, which includes an ink-jetting method. Theprinting method includes a screen-printing method, an offset printingmethod and the like. By using the printing method or the dropletdischarging method, the antenna 519 can be formed without using a maskfor exposure. Moreover, the droplet discharging method and the printingmethod do not waste a material which is removed by etching in thephotolithography method. As an expensive mask for exposure is notrequired to be used, cost spent for manufacturing ID tags can besuppressed.

In the case of using the droplet discharging method or the printingmethod, conductive particles obtained by coating Cu with Ag can be usedas well, for example. In the case of forming the antenna 519 using thedroplet discharging method, it is preferable to apply treatment to asurface of the third interlayer insulating film 520 for enhancingadhesion property of the antenna 519.

As a method for enhancing the adhesion property, a method for applying ametal or a metal compound which can enhance the adhesion property of aconductive film or an insulating film by a catalytic activity to asurface of the third interlayer insulating film 520, a method forapplying an organic insulating film which has high adhesion propertywith a conductive film or an insulating film to be formed to the surfaceof the third interlayer insulating film 520, a method for modulating asurface property by applying plasma treatment under an atmosphericpressure or a reduced pressure to the surface of the third interlayerinsulating film 520. As a metal which has high adhesion property withthe conductive film or the insulating film is, for example, titanium,titanium oxide, or 3d transition element such as Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe,Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. As a metal compound, oxide, nitride, oxynitride andthe like of the aforementioned metal are used. As the organic insulatingfilm, polyimide, siloxane insulating film and the like are used, forexample.

In the case where the metal or the metal compound applied on the thirdinterlayer insulating film 520 is conductive, sheet resistance thereofis controlled so that the antenna can operate normally. Specifically, anaverage thickness of the conductive metal or the metal compound iscontrolled to be 1 to 10 nm or the metal or the metal compound ispartially or wholly insulated by oxidization, for example.Alternatively, the applied metal or the metal compound may beselectively removed by etching except for a region which requires highadhesion property. Otherwise, the metal or the metal compound may beselectively applied only in a specific region by using the dropletdischarging method, the printing method, a sol-gel process and the likeinstead of applying it on a whole surface of the substrate in advance.The metal or the metal compound do not have to be in a state of acompletely continuous film on the surface of the third interlayerinsulating film 520, but may be dispersed to some extent.

After forming the antenna 519 a protective layer 521 is formed on thethird interlayer insulating film 520 so as to cover the antenna 519. Theprotective layer 521 is formed by using a material which can protect theantenna 519 when removing the peeling layer 501 by etching. For example,the protective layer 521 can be formed by wholly applying resin such asepoxy, acrylate, and silicon which is soluble in water or alcohols.

In this embodiment mode, aqueous resin (TOA GOSEI CO., LTD.: VL-WSH L10)is applied by spin coating in thickness of 30 μm, exposed for twominutes for temporary curing, then, its back is exposed to UV rays for2.5 minutes, and exposed for 10 minutes to be fully cured. Consequently,the protective layer 521 is formed. In the case of laminating aplurality of organic resin, there may be a case where the stackedorganic resins melt depending on the solvent during application orbaking, or where the adhesion property becomes too high. Therefore, incase of forming both the third interlayer insulating film 520 and theprotective layer 521 of organic resin which is soluble in the samesolvent, it is preferable to form an inorganic insulating film (aSiN_(X) film, a SiN_(X)O_(Y) film, an AlN_(X) film, or an AlN_(X)O_(Y)film) so as to cover the third interlayer insulating film 520 forsmoothly removing the protective film 521 in the subsequent process.

As shown in FIG. 6B, a groove 522 is formed for separating the thin filmintegrated circuits. The groove 522 is required to be formed to theextent that the peeling layer 501 is exposed. The groove 522 can beformed by dicing, scribing and the like. In the case where the thin filmintegrated circuits formed on the substrate 500 are not required to beseparated, the groove 522 is not necessarily formed.

As shown in FIG. 6C, the peeling layer 501 is removed by etching. Inthis embodiment mode, halogenated fluorine is used as an etching as,which is brought in from the groove 522. In this embodiment mode, theetching is performed using ClF₃ (chlorine trifluoride) at a temperatureof 350° C. with a flow rate of 300 sccm and air pressure of 6 Torr for 3hours. A gas obtained by mixing nitrogen in ClF₃ gas may be used aswell. By using the halogenated fluorine such as ClF₃, the peeling layer501 is selectively etched and the substrate 500 can be peeled off theTFTs 505 and 506.

Note that the halogenated fluorine may be either a gas or liquid.

As shown in FIG. 7, the TFTs 505 and 506 which are peeled off and theantenna 519 are stuck to the support base 531 by using an adhesive 530.A material which can stick the support base 531 and the base film 502with each other is used for the adhesive 530. Moreover, for the adhesive530, a material which has enough strength is used so that the supportbase 531 and the base film 502 are not peeled off when peeling acompleted ID tag off an object after adhesion, although the ID tag maybe peeled off in the metal oxide film 518. For the adhesive 530, forexample, various curable adhesives such as a photo-curable adhesive suchas a reactive curable adhesive, a heat curable adhesive, and anultraviolet curable adhesive, and an anaerobic adhesive can be used.

For the support base 531, a flexible organic material such as paper andplastic can be used. Alternatively, a flexible inorganic material mayalso be used for the support base 531. ARTON (manufactured by JSR)formed of poly norbornene having a polar group can be used as theplastic substrate. Polyester represented by polyethylene terephthalate(PET), and polyether sulfone (PES), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN),polycarbonate (PC), nylon, polyether etherketone (PEEK), polysulfone(PSF), polyether imide (PEI), polyarylate (PAR), polycutyleneterephthalate (PBT), polyimide, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin,poly vinyl chloride, polypropylene, poly vinyl acetate, acryl resin andthe like can be used. It is preferable that the support base 531 have ahigh degree of heat conductivity of about 2 to 30 W/mK for dispersingthe heat generated in the thin film integrated circuit.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, after removing the protective layer521, the adhesive 532 is applied on the third interlayer insulating film520 so as to cover the antenna 519, thereby a cover material 533 isstuck. The cover material 533 can be formed by using a flexible organicmaterial such as paper and plastic similarly to the support base 531.For the adhesive 532, an organic or inorganic material which can stickthe cover material 533, the third interlayer insulating film 520, andthe antenna 519 are used. Moreover, for the adhesive 532, a materialwhich has enough strength is used so that the cover material 533, thethird interlayer insulating film 520, and the antenna 519 are not peeledoff when peeling a completed semiconductor device off an object afteradhesion, although the semiconductor device may be peeled off in themetal oxide film 518. For the adhesive 532, for example, various curableadhesives such as a photo-curable adhesive such as a reactive curableadhesive, a heat curable adhesive, and an ultraviolet curable adhesive,and an anaerobic adhesive can be used.

Through each of the aforementioned steps, the semiconductor device ofthe invention is completed. According to the aforementionedmanufacturing method, a thin film integrated circuit having a totalthickness of 0.3 to 3 μm, typically about 2 μm, which is considerablythin can be formed between the support base 531 and the cover material533. The thickness of the thin film integrated circuit includes athickness of each insulating film and an interlayer insulating filmformed between the adhesives 530 and 532 as well as a thickness of thesemiconductor element itself. Further, the thin film integrated circuitincluded in the semiconductor device can be formed so as to occupy anarea of 5 mm square or less, or more preferably about 0.3 to 4 mmsquare.

By providing the thin film integrated circuit at a position close to thecenter between the support base 531 and the cover material 533,mechanical strength of the semiconductor device can be enhanced. Inspecific, provided that a distance between the support base 531 and thecover material 533 is d, it is preferable to control the thickness ofthe adhesives 530 and 532 so that a distance x between the support base531 and the center in a direction of the thickness of the thin filmintegrated circuit satisfies the following formula 1.

$\begin{matrix}{{{\frac{1}{2}d} - {30\mspace{14mu}{µm}}} < x < {{\frac{1}{2}d} + {30\mspace{14mu}{µm}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Formula}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

In this embodiment, an example of using W as the metal film 516 isdescribed, however, the invention is not limited to this material. Themetal film 516 may be formed of a material containing a metal on whichthe metal oxide film 518 is formed and which is capable of partiallypeeling the semiconductor device off on the border of the metal oxidefilm 518. For example, TiN, WN, Mo and the like as well as W can beused. In the case of using an alloy of these metals including W for themetal film, an optimal temperature in the heat treatment forcrystallizing the metal oxide film 518 varies depending on thecomposition ratio thereof. Therefore, by controlling the compositionration, the heat treatment can be performed at a temperature which doesnot bother the manufacturing steps of the semiconductor element, thusthe selection of the process for manufacturing the semiconductor elementis unlikely to be restricted.

In addition to the aforementioned steps, treatment for partiallylowering the adhesion property between the metal oxide film 518 and theoxide film 517, or between the metal oxide film 518 and the metal film516 to form a portion as a beginning for starting the peeling. Inspecific, a portion in or adjacent to the interface of the metal oxidefilm 518 is damaged by locally applying a pressure from outside along aperipheral edge of a region to be peeled off. For example, a solidneedle such as a diamond pen is pressed near an edge portion of themetal oxide film 518 and moved along the metal oxide film 518 with thepressure being applied. Preferably, a scriber device is moved withpressure with an indentation of 0.1 to 2 mm. In this manner, by forminga portion of which adhesion property is lowered as a beginning forstarting the peeling, the semiconductor device can be reliably peeledoff in a portion of the metal oxide film 518.

Even when an IC card before storing data in a ROM thereof is illegallyobtained by a third person by stealing and the like, engraving a serialnumber on a semiconductor film, an insulating film and the like used forthe semiconductor device makes it possible to track the route ofcirculation thereof to some extent. In this case, it is more efficientto engrave a serial number at a place where the serial number cannot beerased unless the semiconductor device is decomposed until no good.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8A, for example, an object 541 is stuck to thesupport base 531 of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 7 by using anadhesive 540. At this time, for the adhesive 540, a material which hasenough strength is used so that the support base 531 and the object 541are not peeled off when peeling a semiconductor device off afteradhesion to the object 541, although the semiconductor device may bepeeled off in the metal oxide film 518. For the adhesive 540, forexample, various curable adhesives such as a photo-curable adhesive suchas a reactive curable adhesive, a heat curable adhesive, and anultraviolet curable adhesive, and an anaerobic adhesive can be used.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the metal oxide film 518 is separated when aforce is applied for peeling off the semiconductor device, thereby thesemiconductor device is partially peeled off. In specific, by thispeeling, a portion separated between the metal film 516 and the metaloxide film 518, a portion separated between the oxide film 517 and themetal oxide film 518, and a portion where the metal oxide film 518itself is separated in both ways are generated. The separation isconducted so that the semiconductor element (TFTs 505 and 506 here)adheres to the support base 531 side while the antenna 519 adheres tothe cover material 533 side. The antenna 519 is not necessarilyseparated onto the cover material 533 side completely, but a portionthereof only may be separated onto the support base 531 as well. By thispeeling, the antenna 519 and the TFTs 505 and 506 are electricallyseparated, thus transmission/reception of signals or a power sourcevoltage between the ID tag and the reader/writer can be reliablyrestricted.

In this embodiment mode, the metal oxide film 518 is formed between theantenna and the TFTs 505 and 506 included in the thin film integratedcircuit, however, the invention is not limited to this structure. It isrequired that a wiring which forms the antenna 519 a wiring forelectrically connecting semiconductor elements which form the thin filmintegrated circuit, or a wiring for electrically connecting the antenna519 and the thin film integrated circuit is formed so as to pass throughthe metal oxide film 518.

The thin film integrated circuit may be peeled off the substrate 500 byvarious methods as well as a method for etching a silicon film asdescribed in this embodiment. For example, the thin film integratedcircuit can be peeled off the substrate by breaking the peeling layer byirradiating laser light. Alternatively, the thin film integrated circuitcan be peeled off the substrate by removing the substrate on which thethin film integrated circuit or mechanically by etching using solutionor gas.

Note that the TFTs 505 and 506 may be covered with a silicon nitridefilm or a silicon nitride oxide film before being covered with the firstinterlayer insulating film 510. According to the aforementionedstructure, the TFTs 505 and 506 are covered with a base film 502 and thesilicon nitride film or the silicon nitride oxide film, therefore, itcan be prevented that an alkaline metal such as Na or an alkaline earthmetal is dispersed in a semiconductor film used for the semiconductorelement and adversely affects the characteristics of the semiconductorelement.

In the case of using organic resin for the adhesive 530 which is incontact with the base film 502 in order to obtain the flexibility of thesemiconductor device, it can be prevented that an alkaline metal such asNa or an alkaline earth metal is dispersed in a semiconductor film byusing a silicon nitride film or a silicon nitride oxide film for thebase film 502.

In the case where a surface of the object is curved and thereby thesupport base of the semiconductor device stuck to the curved surface iscurved so as to have a curved surface along a generating line of aconical surface, a columnar surface and the like, it is preferable tomake a direction of the generating line and a moving direction ofcarriers of the TFT be the same. According to the aforementionedstructure, it can be suppressed that the characteristics of the TFT areaffected when the support base is curved. Moreover, by setting a ratioof an area which is occupied by an island-shaped semiconductor film inthe thin film integrated circuit to be 5 to 30%, it can further besuppressed that the characteristics of the TFT are affected when thesupport base is curved.

Embodiment 1

In this embodiment, the shape of a groove is described which is formedwhen peeling off a plurality of integrated circuits which are formed onone substrate. FIG. 9A is a top plan view of a substrate 903 on which agroove 901 are formed. FIG. 9B is a sectional view of FIG. 9A alongA-A′.

Thin film integrated circuits 902 are formed on a peeling layer 904which is formed on the substrate 903. The groove 901 is formed betweeneach of the thin film integrated circuits 902 and formed deep enough toexpose the peeling layer 904. In this embodiment, the plurality of thinfilm integrated circuit 902 are not completely but partially separatedby the grooves 901.

Next, FIGS. 9C and 9D show the substrates after flowing etching gas intothe grooves 901 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B to remove the peeling layer 904by etching. FIG. 9C corresponds to a top plan view of the substrate 903on which the grooves 901 are formed. FIG. 9D corresponds to a sectionalview along A-A′ of FIG. 9C. It is assumed that the peeling layer 904 isetched from the groove 901 to a region denoted by a broken line 905. Theplurality of thin film integrated circuit 902 are not completelyseparated by the grooves 901 but are partially connected so that each ofthe thin film integrated circuit 902 does not move after losing thesupport of the peeling layer 904 after etching.

After the states shown in FIGS. 9C and 9D are formed, the thin filmintegrated circuits 902 are peeled off the substrate 903 by using a tapecoated with an adhesive, a substrate and the like which are preparedseparately. The plurality of thin film integrated circuits 902 which arepeeled off are stuck to the support base before or after being separatedfrom each other.

This embodiment describes an example of a manufacturing method of thesemiconductor device. A manufacturing method of the semiconductor deviceis not limited to the structure described in this embodiment.

Embodiment 2

Next, one mode of a functional structure of the semiconductor device ofthe invention is described with reference to FIG. 10.

Reference numeral 300 denotes an antenna and 301 denotes a thin filmintegrated circuit. The antenna 300 includes an antenna coil 302 and acapacitor 303 formed in the antenna coil 302. The thin film integratedcircuit 301 includes a demodulating circuit 309, a modulating circuit304, a rectifying circuit 305, a micro processor 306, a memory 307, anda switch 308 for applying a load to the antenna 300. Note that aplurality of the memory 307 may be provided as well as one.

The signals transmitted as radio waves from a reader/writer areconverted into alternating electronic signals through electromagneticinduction by the antenna coil 302. The demodulating circuit 309demodulates the alternating electronic signals and transmits them to thesubsequent micro processor 306. The rectifying circuit 305 generates apower source voltage by using the alternating electronic signals andsupplies them to the subsequent micro processor 306.

The micro processor 306 performs various operations according to theinputted signals. The memory 307 which stores a program, data and thelike used by the micro processor 306 can also be used as an area for theoperations. The signals sent to the modulating circuit 304 from themicro processor 306 are modulated into an alternating electronicsignals. The switch 308 can apply a load to the antenna coil 302according to the alternating electronic signals from the modulatingcircuit 304. The reader/writer can read the signals from the microprocessor 306 consequently by receiving the load applied to the antennacoil 302 as radio waves.

The semiconductor device shown in FIG. 10 is only a mode of theinvention and the invention is not limited to the aforementionedstructure. The transmission of the signals is not limited to anelectromagnetic coupling method shown in FIG. 10 but other transmissionmethods such as electromagnetic induction method or a microwave methodcan be used. In addition, a function such as a GPS may be incorporatedas well.

Embodiment 3

In this embodiment, an example of a semiconductor device is described inwhich a wiring for electrically connecting the semiconductor elements inthe thin film integrated circuit passes through the separating layer. InFIG. 11A, TFTs 1101 and 1102 as one of the semiconductor elements in thethin film integrated circuit and an antenna 1103 are stuck to a supportbase 1104. In this embodiment, a top gate type TFT is used for the TFTs1101 and 1102 as an example.

In FIG. 11A, a wiring which forms the antenna 1103, gate electrodes 1105and 1106 of the TFTs 1101 and 1102 respectively are formed by patterningthe same conductive film. The TFTs 1101 and 1102 are electricallyconnected by using a wiring 1107 which passes through a separating layer(a metal oxide film in this embodiment) 1108. In specific, the wiring1107 and the wirings 1101 and 1111 connected to the TFTs 1110 and 1102respectively are connected.

FIG. 11B shows the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 11A being peeledoff after being stuck to an object. As shown in FIG. 11B, when thesemiconductor device is torn off on the border of the metal oxide film1108, the wiring 1107 which electrically connects the TFTs 1101 and 1102is cut off, thus a function of the thin film integrated circuit can bebroken.

FIG. 11B shows an example where the wiring 1107 is cut off by peeling asemiconductor device off, however, this embodiment is not limited tothis. For example, the wiring 1107 may be separated from the wirings1110 and 1111 by peeling the semiconductor device off.

In this embodiment, the wiring which forms the antenna 1103 and the gateelectrodes 1105 and 1106 of the TFTs 1101 and 1102 are formed bypatterning the same conductive film, however, the invention is notlimited to this structure. For example, the antenna and the wirings 1110and 1111 may be formed by patterning the same conductive film.

Embodiment 4

In this embodiment, an example of the semiconductor device in which awiring which forms an antenna passes through a separating layer. In FIG.12A, a TFT 1201 as one of the semiconductor elements in the thin filmintegrated circuit and an antenna 1202 are stuck to a support base 1203.In this embodiment, a top gate type TFT is used for the TFT 1201 as anexample.

In FIG. 12A, wirings 1204 and 1205 which form the antenna 1202 andwirings 1210 and 1211 connected to the TFT 1201 are formed by patterningthe same conductive film. The wiring 1204 and the wiring 1205 areelectrically connected by using a wiring 1208 which passes through aseparating layer (a metal oxide film in this embodiment) 1207. That is,the antenna 1202 includes the wirings 1204, 1208, and 1205 which areconnected in series.

FIG. 12B shows the ID tag shown in FIG. 12A being peeled off after beingstuck to an object. As shown in FIG. 12B, the wiring 1208 is cut off bythe semiconductor device torn off on the border of the metal oxide film1207. Therefore, as the wirings 1204 and 1205 which form the antenna areelectrically cut off, a function of the antenna can be broken.

FIG. 12B shows an example where the wiring 1208 is cut off by peelingthe semiconductor device off, however, this embodiment is not limited tothis structure. For example, the wirings 1208 may be separated from thewirings 1204 and 1205 may be cut off by peeling off the semiconductordevice.

In this embodiment, the wirings 1204 and 1205 which form the antenna1202 and the wirings 1210 and 1211 connected to the TFT 1201 are formedby patterning the same conductive film, however, this embodiment is notlimited to this structure. For example, the wirings 1204 and 1205 and agate electrode of the TFT 1201 may be formed by patterning the sameconductive film.

1. A semiconductor device comprising: a support base interposed betweena pair of first adhesives; a thin film integrated circuit, an antenna,and a separating layer over the pair of first adhesives; a wiringelectrically connecting the thin film integrated circuit and theantenna; a second adhesive over the wiring; and a cover material overthe second adhesive, wherein the wiring passes through the separatinglayer, and wherein the pair of first adhesives has a higher adhesionthan the separating layer.
 2. A semiconductor device comprising: asupport base interposed between a pair of first adhesives; a thin filmintegrated circuit, a separating layer, and an antenna sequentiallylaminated over the pair of first adhesives; a wiring electricallyconnecting the thin film integrated circuit and the antenna; a secondadhesive over the wiring; and a cover material over the second adhesive,wherein the wiring passes through the separating layer, and wherein thepair of first adhesives has a higher adhesion than the separating layer.3. A semiconductor device comprising: a support base interposed betweena pair of first adhesives; a thin film integrated circuit, an antenna,and a separating layer over the pair of first adhesives, wherein thethin film integrated circuit comprises a plurality of semiconductorelements; a wiring electrically connecting the plurality ofsemiconductor elements; a second adhesive over the wiring; and a covermaterial over the second adhesive, wherein the wiring passes through theseparating layer, and wherein the pair of first adhesives has a higheradhesion than the separating layer.
 4. A semiconductor device accordingto any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the antenna is formed by one of aprinting method and a droplet discharging method.
 5. A semiconductordevice according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of semiconductorelements comprise thin film transistors, wherein each of the thin filmtransistors comprises a semiconductor film and a gate electrode with agate insulating film interposed therebetween.
 6. A semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the antenna and the gate electrode areformed by patterning a same conductive film.
 7. A semiconductor deviceaccording to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the thin film integratedcircuit and the antenna are formed over a substrate and then peeled offby removing the substrate, and stuck to the support base using one ofthe pair of first adhesives.
 8. A semiconductor device comprising: asupport base interposed between a pair of first adhesives; a thin filmintegrated circuit, an antenna, and a separating layer over the pair offirst adhesives; a second adhesive over the antenna; and a covermaterial over the second adhesive, wherein the antenna comprises aplurality of wirings connected in series, and wherein at least one ofthe plurality of wirings passes through the separating layer, andwherein the pair of first adhesives has a higher adhesion than theseparating layer.
 9. A semiconductor device according to claim 8,wherein the thin film integrated circuit and the antenna are formed overa substrate and then peeled off the substrate by removing the substrate,and stuck to the support base using one of the pair of first adhesives.10. A semiconductor device comprising: a support base interposed betweena pair of first adhesives; a thin film integrated circuit, an antenna,and a separating layer sequentially laminated over the pair of firstadhesives; a second adhesive over the antenna; and a cover material overthe second adhesive, wherein the antenna comprises a plurality ofwirings connected in series, wherein at least one of the plurality ofwirings passes through the separating layer, and wherein the pair offirst adhesives has a higher adhesion than the separating layer.
 11. Asemiconductor device according to claim 10, wherein the thin filmintegrated circuit and the antenna are formed over a substrate and thenpeeled off the substrate by removing the substrate, and stuck to thesupport base using one of the pair of first adhesives.
 12. Asemiconductor device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 8 and 10,wherein the separating layer comprises a metal oxide film containing atleast one selected from the group consisting of TiN, WN, Mo and W.
 13. Asemiconductor device according to claim 12, wherein the metal oxide filmis in a crystalline state.
 14. A semiconductor device according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, 8 and 10, wherein the support base comprises atleast one of a plastic and a paper.
 15. A semiconductor device accordingto any one of claims 1 to 3, 8 and 10, wherein the semiconductor deviceis stuck to an object selected from the group consisting of a container,an envelope, a check and a passport.